It Was A Majestic McLaren And A Rowdy Raptor Kind Of Day

"Torque Affair" (torqueaffair) 10/25/2015 at 11:54 • Filed to: MCLAREN, RAPTOR

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One of my objectives in life is to binge-watch as many shows as humanly possible. The other is to find places where I am surrounded by beautiful vehicles. Such a place could be a dealership, a showroom or just a plain ol’ parking lot - the only criteria is that there must be at least one awesome car somewhere in the vicinity.

I’ve known about one such facility for a while, called the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , that houses millions of dollars worth of amazing cars but have never made it over there. I finally got the chance to do so and it was even better than I was expecting.

Petrol Lounge is essentially a giant warehouse where people get to store their most beloved possessions on wheels and desperate car lovers like myself patiently wait outside the door until someone lets them in. Nobody really wanted to let me in but since I looked so pathetic, someone probably felt bad and reluctantly decided to unlock the door.

As I walked in, I wondered...if it’s called the Petrol Lounge, does that mean that no Teslas are allowed here? Especially the ones that have vanity plates that state “NO GAS”? Maybe a Tesla could call Petrol Lounge its home…but only for the right price. Of course I’m only joking. I’m sure Teslas are welcomed here: they’re just stored in the basement - out of sight and out of mind.

What you find inside Petrol Lounge are cars like a Ferrari F40, a Porsche 918, a Shelby Daytona coupe - a laundry list of collector vehicles purchased by owners who are hoping to make a higher return on automobiles than investing in other things. Why buy stocks when you can buy cars?

Besides being a home for fancy cars, Petrol Lounge also has a place to hang out, play racing games, pool or race slot cars on a giant track. If you’re lonely and love cars, then this is the place for you…actually not really. This is a place reserved for owners who are paying money to store some of the most valuable cars in the world.

What were they thinking by letting me in??

As long as you’re willing to pay $300 a month to have your vehicle be pampered in a way that 99.99% of humans on this planet can only dream of, then you can consider yourself a member of the Petrol Lounge.

It just so happened that loitering on a bright sunny Saturday morning meant that I could tag along on “fancy car drop-off duty”. On this particular day, we had to deliver both a McLaren and a Raptor to their owner.

First up was a 2012 McLaren MP4-12C. It certainly looks the part of a supercar but the rounded edges do take away from the “in your face” aggression that, I think, a supercar should have. The design could’ve been a bit more edgy, although the overall lines of the car were undeniably attractive.

If you own a McLaren and want the world to see you getting into one, then be sure to have one thing figured out real well. Master it. If you just bought the McLaren, then practice it over and over so that it becomes second nature before you’re seen in public. If at this point you’re probably wondering - what the hell are you talking about - don’t worry, just keep reading!

On the Mclaren, there is no door handle. Instead, there is only a sensor hidden underneath the exterior paneling with no indication of where the sensor might be ( see picture above ). And unless your fingers are right on the sensor, the door wont open.

So, here is a completely plausible scenario. Let’s say you’ve either just won the lottery or sold your business or perhaps you’ve decided to spend 80% of your paycheck on a car payment and got your hands on a brand new McLaren. You’re feeling euphoric and you show up to Walgreens to fulfill your beef jerky craving in your newly purchased supercar.

You leave Walgreens and strut confidently, like the superstar you are, towards your beautiful exotic and place your hand on the door to open it. You are immediately humbled when precious seconds go by and you can’t open the door. As time keeps ticking away, humiliation soon replaces your quickly deflating ego, as people start staring at you and wondering why you’re caressing your McLaren as you move your hand up and down the door paneling trying to find that pesky sensor.

They just don’t realize that you’re in a deep and complex relationship with your McLaren.

They’ll never understand.

Once you find your way into the McLaren, the interior actually feels quite snug and small. It’s deceptive since the MP4-12C is much bigger and wider than you’d think with the majority of the car being behind you. And, of course, as with any supercar you can’t see anything out of it.

On the road, the power is intense. 592 hp is a lot for a car that barely weighs 3200 lb. At high rpms, the engine roar sounds great, but the power was too much for the tires to handle. When they did grip the road though, the car accelerated unbelievably quickly. It’s a rush of adrenaline as you get pushed back into your seat.

I assumed that the McLaren would be more luxurious and quieter than it was by the looks of it, but there was a unrefined quality to it which I actually enjoyed. The ride was relatively harsh and you quickly realize that the only place that this car belongs at is a race track. Driving around town, it’s unfulfilling since you know that you can never come close to anything that this car is capable of achieving.

This is a feature that I liked. Both the driver and passenger have their own personalized climate control - it should be like this in all cars. You can adjust the temperature as well as the fan speed, but in a car like the McLaren there’s no time to worry about that since you’re too busy flooring it at every opportunity.

After too short of a drive, we dropped off the McLaren and went back to the lounge to grab the Raptor. Now, this Raptor was a sight to behold. It was a massive, blindingly red and expensively modified truck with more lights than what you’d find in a football stadium.

This Raptor is too much of everything. It’s too high, too loud, too bright and too obnoxious - but I loved it. There is also an unbelievably loud train horn installed that will make you pee your pants. See the video clip below - skip over to the minute mark if you just want to hear the horn. If you’re wearing headphones, lower the volume.

You can’t hide in this truck because once you hit the road with this monster, everyone will look at you and immediately form some sort of opinion. There’s no escaping it.

Here are some thoughts people around you will have.

Human #1: Look at you - you disgusting scum of the earth. I can’t believe this is how little you care about the environment. I hope you crash your truck and die with it.

Human #2: Dude, badass ride. Can I get a ride in that thing?

Human #3: You’re such an attention whore - you should be ashamed of yourself parading around in that thing.

Human #4: Where are the drugs stashed?

And so the judgments continued. Everyone looked at us - and I mean - everyone. Even without saying anything, you could just feel the judgment oozing out of their faces. If a pie is “judgment”, then what you would have noticed were people everywhere whose faces were covered with pies. A bunch of pie-faces everywhere.

The humongous truck took up almost the entire lane and although it is incredibly loud from the outside, you don’t hear much from inside the truck. Because you are so high off the ground and sort of insulated from what’s on the road, you could easily run over squirrels, cats, deer, smart cars and not feel a thing.

You’d think a 6.2L V8 that’s supercharged would be enough, but with this truck, more gas equaled more noise, but not speed.

This ridiculous Raptor was lots of fun though - I’m sure it’s a blast to drive around on sand dunes, climb rocks, go up and down stairs and drive over Minis.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this Raptor plays a leading role in an upcoming horror movie where it’s a self-driven possessed devil that obliterates everything in its path.

As luck would have it, as we were dropping off the Raptor, we came across the rare Ferrari FF.

I have a feeling the FF and I will cross paths in the near future.

But for now, I must figure out how I can spend more of my time at Petrol Lounge. In fact, I’m going to sell my house and just live at the Petrol Lounge - surely I can place a mattress somewhere in there.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is about exploring my fascination with cars; I’m always on the lookout for things that interest me in the car world.

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Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Torque Affair 10/25/2015 at 12:08

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If you had a really awesome RV, you could probably pay to leave it there, plug it in, and then boom. House inside of a warehouse.

Torque Affair > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/25/2015 at 12:38

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Great idea!!

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Torque Affair 10/25/2015 at 12:43

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It could totally work.

Blondude > Torque Affair 10/25/2015 at 15:37

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It may be a replica, but it’s still fuggin’ awesome.

Jake Kirn > Torque Affair 10/25/2015 at 15:40

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yikes

PatBateman > Torque Affair 10/25/2015 at 15:50

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I’m just glad I’m not the only one who understands the complexity and possibly humiliating situation that is the 12C’s door opening mechanism.

boxrocket > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/25/2015 at 16:02

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Not a bad idea for $300 a month....

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > boxrocket 10/25/2015 at 16:04

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I don’t know where this is, but it’s probably cheaper than rent in some places.

il buono > Torque Affair 10/25/2015 at 16:12

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Too gaudy for me. Looks like the type of truck a mafioso in Mexico would be driving.

As Long as There is Beer I'm There. > Torque Affair 10/25/2015 at 16:47

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I must’ve driven by that place all the time on the way to work before I left Austin and never knew it... Damnit... DAMNIT I SHOULD BE THE ONE IN THERE RIGHT NOW!

Eddie Brannan > Torque Affair 10/25/2015 at 16:52

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$300/month? That’s what I pay to park at the grimy-ass Municipal on Delancey and Essex. And that’s cheap for NYC!

Torque Affair > As Long as There is Beer I'm There. 10/25/2015 at 17:36

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hahah...just come back to Austin and take a look!

Torque Affair > Eddie Brannan 10/25/2015 at 17:37

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haha...move to Austin!

Eddie Brannan > Torque Affair 10/25/2015 at 17:50

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Nah.

As Long as There is Beer I'm There. > Torque Affair 10/25/2015 at 19:07

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So what your saying is... You’ll let me in? Because that would be pretty awesome.

TriggerTX > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/25/2015 at 19:50

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Heh, funny you should say that. There is already an Airstream in there.

JackMcCauley > Blondude 10/25/2015 at 21:55

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Not a replica. It has a CSX number.

Blondude > JackMcCauley 10/25/2015 at 22:21

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It’s a replica. None of the original six Daytona Coupes are currently using the #15 with a rookie stripe livery. Here’s a few shots of when they were all together at Goodwood last month.

Granted, there’s a pretty good chance it’s a Kirkham replica which would still make it a $200,000 car.

Bryson > PatBateman 10/25/2015 at 23:10

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if you press the unlock button on the fob twice it opens the door so all you have to do is loft it

Bryson > Torque Affair 10/25/2015 at 23:11

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Instead of rubbing the McLaren awkwardly you could just press the unlock button on the fob twice to open the door so you just have to lift it.

whoapower > PatBateman 10/26/2015 at 00:05

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Besides byaskowe’s tip, if you do the whole stroke method, make sure your hand is deeper into the door jam and scoop out when you feel it will unlatch. Sometimes if you look at under the door, you can see where the sensor is. The newer 650S model and successor have buttons because of this difficulty.

PatBateman > whoapower 10/26/2015 at 00:09

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Yeah, I’ve had a hell of a time with those doors in the past.

oppositelock.kinja.com/the-mclaren-mp4-12cs-doors-are-assholes-1721498089

Stef Schrader > Torque Affair 10/26/2015 at 00:39

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YESSSSS. I love these people.

Puff explored that slot car track. She felt a bit like Puffzilla. I think she liked that.

Stef Schrader > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/26/2015 at 00:40

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I’ve offered to move in. I need an RV, I guess.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Stef Schrader 10/26/2015 at 00:48

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You’d put a puffalump on every single car and leave it there wouldn’t you?

Svend > Torque Affair 10/26/2015 at 03:15

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One of these is not like the others.

Torque Affair > Stef Schrader 10/26/2015 at 05:52

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Haha...I really want one of those racing setups for myself!

Meatcoma > Torque Affair 10/26/2015 at 08:02

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Fox body mustang? Must be pristine.

As Long as There is Beer I'm There. > Torque Affair 10/26/2015 at 09:36

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Because if that’s what you are saying then I’m there.

whoapower > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 10/26/2015 at 11:59

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Some things you wish could be there are not pictured.

whoapower > Eddie Brannan 10/26/2015 at 12:01

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NYC has a similar operation, but I believe it is around $495/month. There might be others, but yes, it is quite expensive.

whoapower > Blondude 10/26/2015 at 12:03

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It isn’t one of the original six, but it is not a Kirkham or other replica.

Blondude > whoapower 10/26/2015 at 12:19

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So, then what is it? A scratch-built replica? A re-bodied 289 Cobra?

Eddie Brannan > whoapower 10/26/2015 at 12:52

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I’d be very very surprised if it was only $495/month. That’s the price of most basic parking garages in NYC. You don’t get pampering, maintaining air-conditioning etc. And a lounge? Matter fact I’m very surprised they can offer all that for only $300/month even in Austin.

Moves-Like-Senna > Torque Affair 10/26/2015 at 13:06

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300$ a month? That’s cheaper than a parking spot in the building up the street form my office (why I don’t drive to work)

JackMcCauley > Blondude 10/26/2015 at 13:43

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A replica wouldn’t be qualified for vintage racing. This one is.

newton > Blondude 10/26/2015 at 13:48

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I believe it’s a Shelby reproduction. So not replica, but not an original CSX.

newton > Meatcoma 10/26/2015 at 13:48

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Some kind of rare Saleen foxbody.

Blondude > newton 10/26/2015 at 13:54

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The only Shelby-approved recreations were the Superformance Daytona Coupes and this one pretty clearly isn’t one.

EDIT: I forgot that they made a short run of “more accurate” recreations earlier this year. It could definitely be one of those, but it’s still a replica.

newton > Torque Affair 10/26/2015 at 13:56

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I was just there a few days ago. Did ya see the E30 M3 EvoII?

And are you also in Austin TqAffair?

Blondude > JackMcCauley 10/26/2015 at 14:32

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How do you know this one is qualified?

Torque Affair > newton 10/26/2015 at 22:23

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Yeah I did. Yea I’m in Austin - I think we met a while back at the AMG and Corvette meetup. http://torqueaffair.com/amgs-vs-corvet…

Torque Affair > Moves-Like-Senna 10/26/2015 at 22:23

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Let me guess - you’re in NYC?

BobWellington > Torque Affair 10/26/2015 at 22:46

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Whoever put those wheels on that Raptor should be shot.

whoapower > Blondude 10/27/2015 at 00:17

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Your info misses the McClusky CSX 2xxx cars. Does that help clarify?

Blondude > whoapower 10/27/2015 at 00:45

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And the McClusky Cobras were replicas too. They may be built to the same specs as the originals but they were made from scratch (with the exception of the first one which was built off a 289’s chassis). Unless it’s CSX2986, CSX2987, CSX2299, CSX2300, CSX2601, or CSX2602 it’s a replica. And that still begs the question, how do you know it’s a McClusky Cobra?

whoapower > Blondude 10/27/2015 at 01:01

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Please drop by sometime if you are in the area and we’ll chat. I’d rather not get into this discussion further online, as it is not my personal car. There are many other Cobra forums out there to discuss and argue the legitimacy of various Cobra makes, copies, replicas, and coachbuilds.

MoparMap > Torque Affair 10/27/2015 at 09:24

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Wow, the picture with the Raptor lights on actually made me look away from my screen like real lights on a car. Those are intense.

Moves-Like-Senna > Torque Affair 10/27/2015 at 09:36

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Montreal of all places. Cheapest “city” but there’s not much underground parking downtown.

newton > Torque Affair 10/27/2015 at 17:38

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Ah had no idea. Well hope to put a name to a face next time.

Torque Affair > newton 10/27/2015 at 18:34

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yep, for sure.

Torque Affair > MoparMap 10/27/2015 at 18:35

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That thing is crazy in person.

Paaron > Torque Affair 11/13/2015 at 15:19

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If I can’t have the cars, I want this slot car track

Torque Affair > Paaron 11/13/2015 at 17:11

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It’s so freaking cool.